So when I hear Herman Cain playing up the stereotypes of my grandparents' black speech for white audiences, I get offended. We whose families fought hard, over generations, to get a decent education for our children and their children shouldn't make light of the kind of language (tied to discrimination) we have worked to move past.

I stand by my claim that Cain‘s speech is like a form of minstrelsy. This is very different from President Obama, who some say speaks "black" when in front of all-black audiences. In Obama's case, the use of folksy speech tells his audience: "I am like you and I understand you." For Cain, the effect is the opposite: "I do not look like you and I am not a threat to you." It seems the most important question is: Why is either of these strategies necessary in 2011?

If we want to achieve real racial equality in America, then we must answer the question I have posed: Why does Cain rely on the old minstrel song and dance to court his conservative white audiences? There is, to me, only one answer: Race (and racism) matter more than any of us would like to admit in this, and in every, presidential race.